Recruiting then and now

Mac was a great recruiter. But things have changed at good old CU. Or at least they had, so I was wondering if they've been changed again and I just hadn't heard.

CU has fairly strict admissions requirements. Kids have to meet minimum standards called MAPS . However, CU has exceptions under which they will allow certain kids in at their discretion. The way I understand it is that the school limits the number to about 10% of admissions. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) Anyway, with Gordon Gee being very pro-athletics, Mac was able to get many academically challenged kids into school under the "exception." So, say Mac had 20 recruits, 6 might have been admitted this way.

This all changed after "the scandal." The way I remember it, and correct me if I'm wrong, under Hoffman, the athletic department was told that each program could only allow the school percentage of their recruits to get in under the "exception" or whatever they call it. So, lets say Hawkins has 20 scholarships to give. Only 2 of those could be a special admission.

Listening to Woody Paige on the radio, he said he'd heard that Hawkins is VERY frustrated with CU admission policy and the admissions department. Some of that stemming from the Simmons thing.

So, for those "in the know." Am I way off base on this? Is there any chance in hell that the policy might change?

Mac was a great recruiter. But things have changed at good old CU. Or at least they had, so I was wondering if they've been changed again and I just hadn't heard.

CU has fairly strict admissions requirements. Kids have to meet minimum standards called MAPS . However, CU has exceptions under which they will allow certain kids in at their discretion. The way I understand it is that the school limits the number to about 10% of admissions. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) Anyway, with Gordon Gee being very pro-athletics, Mac was able to get many academically challenged kids into school under the "exception." So, say Mac had 20 recruits, 6 might have been admitted this way.

This all changed after "the scandal." The way I remember it, and correct me if I'm wrong, under Hoffman, the athletic department was told that each program could only allow the school percentage of their recruits to get in under the "exception" or whatever they call it. So, lets say Hawkins has 20 scholarships to give. Only 2 of those could be a special admission.

Listening to Woody Paige on the radio, he said he'd heard that Hawkins is VERY frustrated with CU admission policy and the admissions department. Some of that stemming from the Simmons thing.

So, for those "in the know." Am I way off base on this? Is there any chance in hell that the policy might change?

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CU administration doesn't want a football factory. They think fans should be lucky to have a team.

Cal has a 6% of each freshman class "exception" rule...which is how many football players are admitted (Neu was complaining in the off-season about Cal admitting players he couldn't admit at UCLA). don't know anything or ever heard of such a thing at CU. not saying it doesn't exist i've just never heard about the 10%.

Hawkins did pull in the #15 recruiting class (Rivals ranking) in 2008 after a 6-7 season. While it would be nice if CU Admissions would allow a couple more exceptions every year, it's not like it's that big of an issue like some (including Hawk) make it out to be.

Hawkins did pull in the #15 recruiting class (Rivals ranking) in 2008 after a 6-7 season. While it would be nice if CU Admissions would allow a couple more exceptions every year, it's not like it's that big of an issue like some (including Hawk) make it out to be.

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OK, nik. Say you are a top notch up and coming coach. CU calls you. And you interview them and find out that you can only sign assistants to a month by month contract. You can't guarantee them even a one year contract. You can't guarantee them even a buyout if you fire their boss. Then you tell the top notch coach that, no, you can only sign one or two "exceptions" a year. Now, remember, you are one of the guys talked about on all the web sites. Do you sign with CU or do you go to "LAIU"? That is, do you go to "Let Anybody In University."

Hawkins did pull in the #15 recruiting class (Rivals ranking) in 2008 after a 6-7 season. While it would be nice if CU Admissions would allow a couple more exceptions every year, it's not like it's that big of an issue like some (including Hawk) make it out to be.

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Just curious, but what would the ranking be if you pulled out players that didn't end up getting in to school?

OK, nik. Say you are a top notch up and coming coach. CU calls you. And you interview them and find out that you can only sign assistants to a month by month contract. You can't guarantee them even a one year contract. You can't guarantee them even a buyout if you fire their boss. Then you tell the top notch coach that, no, you can only sign one or two "exceptions" a year. Now, remember, you are one of the guys talked about on all the web sites. Do you sign with CU or do you go to "LAIU"? That is, do you go to "Let Anybody In University."

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I don't know how big of a deal the assistant coach thing is. It probably keeps us from being able to attract a Orgeron, Tenuta or Chow level guy. But we wouldn't pay the price tag for one of those guys anyway, so it may be that the point is moot and assistant pay scale is the real issue.

On the exceptions thing, it definitely hurts in some cases. For example, the rumor is that Urban Meyer would have accepted the Notre Dame job if they had given in to his request for 2 academic exceptions per year. They refused and Florida has won big while seeing the academic reputation of its university climb significantly.

So, yeah, there are drawbacks. But I just don't see them as deal breakers for attracting a hot coaching prospect. Neuheisel, Barnett and Hawkins were all top guys on the market when we pulled them in. It may not be a top 10 job, but it's still a top 30 job and there aren't a lot of those available every year.

The trick is to bring in good young talent. So, recruiting top young mind to the coaching staff is what you'd have to do. Seems like Hawkins has, instead, gone after old "has beens." But it is a big issue at CU, I think.

The trick is to bring in good young talent. So, recruiting top young mind to the coaching staff is what you'd have to do. Seems like Hawkins has, instead, gone after old "has beens." But it is a big issue at CU, I think.

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errrr... Keisau and Hagan (and before them, Grimes.. Hell, look what grimes has done at Auburn..) definitely DO NOT fit the "old, has beens.." idea. It's been a mix with Hawk, which I agree with for the most part. However, the Boise St. crew has definitely not been working out... Jury is still out on Denver Johnson, but so far, not so good.

Well, people here like to compare Hawkins to Mac. The fact is, Mac, and I love the guy, was able to recruit under different rules. So was Neuhiesel and, until the scandal, Barnett. Hawkins doesn't get to recruit under the same standards. Add to that the resurgence of the Texas and Cal schools, who get the best talent from their respective states, and any Colorado coach is at much more of a disadvantage compared to previous regimes. Remember, Mac was HUGE in Cal and Texas. The only good thing is that Colorado high school football has gotten much better in the last 20 years. So, the in state talent is a lot better than in the Mac years.

What about other schools with tougher admissions requirements like Texas, Florida, Georgia - how do they get so many great athletes admitted? They’re not all geniuses. And if those schools are out of our league in terms of athletics, what about North Carolina, Stanford, etc...are they just more 'flexible' in working with the HC to get players in?

I'm proud of my Colorado education, but let's be honest - there are far more schools with tougher academic admission requirements that are still getting great athletes in...is it better recruiting? Is it a higher 'exception' rate? Is it an admissions office that wants to help the AD?

What about other schools with tougher admissions requirements like Texas, Florida, Georgia - how do they get so many great athletes admitted? They’re not all geniuses. And if those schools are out of our league in terms of athletics, what about North Carolina, Stanford, etc...are they just more 'flexible' in working with the HC to get players in?

I'm proud of my Colorado education, but let's be honest - there are far more schools with tougher academic admission requirements that are still getting great athletes in...is it better recruiting? Is it a higher 'exception' rate? Is it an admissions office that wants to help the AD?

Something just doesn't seem to fit...

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I can't speak for every school you listed, but Texas public schools are a joke. I am surprised many of these recruits get the minimum SAT/ACT needed, but as far as high school transcripts go you would need a combination of learning disability and apathy not to qualify in that department. 95+ percent of UT's recruits are in state, the majority are from public high schools and the majority of those are football factories. It's not exactly a gauntlet for a player in that respect. Back to my standardized test point, how these schools prepare them to get a worthy score on those I'll never know.

Mac was a great recruiter. But things have changed at good old CU. Or at least they had, so I was wondering if they've been changed again and I just hadn't heard.

CU has fairly strict admissions requirements. Kids have to meet minimum standards called MAPS . However, CU has exceptions under which they will allow certain kids in at their discretion. The way I understand it is that the school limits the number to about 10% of admissions. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) Anyway, with Gordon Gee being very pro-athletics, Mac was able to get many academically challenged kids into school under the "exception." So, say Mac had 20 recruits, 6 might have been admitted this way.

This all changed after "the scandal." The way I remember it, and correct me if I'm wrong, under Hoffman, the athletic department was told that each program could only allow the school percentage of their recruits to get in under the "exception" or whatever they call it. So, lets say Hawkins has 20 scholarships to give. Only 2 of those could be a special admission.

Listening to Woody Paige on the radio, he said he'd heard that Hawkins is VERY frustrated with CU admission policy and the admissions department. Some of that stemming from the Simmons thing.

So, for those "in the know." Am I way off base on this? Is there any chance in hell that the policy might change?

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I think Mac got a lot of kids in that would not get in today. I think the standards are higher or the rules are being enforced more clearly. If there is a struggle behind the scenes between academia and athletics then the more the team loses the more we all lose. I believe a good football team is good for enrollment.

Well, people here like to compare Hawkins to Mac. The fact is, Mac, and I love the guy, was able to recruit under different rules. So was Neuhiesel and, until the scandal, Barnett. Hawkins doesn't get to recruit under the same standards. Add to that the resurgence of the Texas and Cal schools, who get the best talent from their respective states, and any Colorado coach is at much more of a disadvantage compared to previous regimes. Remember, Mac was HUGE in Cal and Texas. The only good thing is that Colorado high school football has gotten much better in the last 20 years. So, the in state talent is a lot better than in the Mac years.

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and add in OU as well. this is the number one reason why recruiting is more challenging. Period.

Would it be fair to say that there are also more football recruits from Cali and Tex these days? Football has grown quite a bit in the last 20 years, I'm thinking that there's plenty to go around. It's not like 3* and 4* kids aren't even interested in CU, we just have to beat out the ASUs and Oregons of the world for them. We aren't going to beat out UCLA and USC on a lot of kids, but we can win a few battles and that's all that we need.